Adjustable window-screen



(No Model.)

. W. LASAR;

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW SCREEN. l

No. 523,044. Patented Jul 2,2 1. 1'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER LASAR,'OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.v

ADJUSTABLE WINDOW-SCREEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 523,044, dated July 17,1894 Application filed September 29, 1893. Serial No 486,817. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WALTER LAsAR, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Window-Screens, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to window screens, and has for its object toimprove the means of antomatically adjusting the movable sidestrips tothe width of the window to which said screen is applied, and to attaincertain practical advantages hereinafter disclosed;

To this end, my invention consists principally in an extension springapplied to the screen frame and forming part thereof for spreading theside strips apart.

It also consists in the arrangements and details of constructionhereinafter described and claimed.

. In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of thisspecification,Figure 1 is a front elevation of the window screenwithparts of the frame broken away to show the extension springs andtheir connections to the side wings. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thewindowscreen. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of an extension spring andconnections. Fig. 4 is a plan of the window screen; and Figs. 5 and 6are detail views illustrating modifications in the arrangement of thestops.

The wire cloth or screen fabric, 1, is fastened in the ordinary way to arigid frame. 2. At the top and bottom of this frame, 2, are fastenedstrips, 3, of even length with the width of the frame, and provided withgrooves, 4, on their inner faces. The inside end portions of each ofthese grooved strips, 3, are cut away, so that a recess is formedbetween the end of the strip and the corresponding corner of the frame.Side strips or wings, 5, fit loosely in corresponding recesses, and eachis provided at each end with a stiff rod, 6, extending inwardly throughthe groove in the corresponding top or bottom strips. Inside of thegrooves in the top and bottom strips, are extension springs, 7. Thesesprings are helically wound wires terminating in eyes at both ends. Theinwardly extending rods, 6, pass entirely through the correspondinghelical springs and likewise terminate in eyes, by

-. fix the limits of such movement.

means of which they'are connected to the farther ends of said wiresprings.

Nails or other stops, 8, one for each rod, are located on the groovedstrip between the spring coil and the eye of the corresponding rod, in aposition to be struck by the eye on the rod when the rod is drawn backby the spring. This stop prevents too great outward movement of the sidewing, while the shoulder of the grooved strip at the end of the recesslimits its inward movement. The side wings are therefore free to movelaterallywithin the recess, but the stop and the shoulder Thegroovesshould be madelarge enough to'insure against binding, in case the endsof the side wings should be moved unevenly.

In the modifications shown inFigs. 5 and 6,,

the stops for the respective rods are located between the coil and thecorresponding side wings; in Fig. 5 a turn in the wire rod co-operateswith the stop, and in Fig. 6 the wire rod has two offsets, serving tolimit the movement in both directions.

' The operation of the device is as follows: Normally the side wings arespread apart as far as the stops will permit. To apply the screen to awindow, the side wings are shoved inwardly by hand, thereby shorteningthe width of the screen, so as to allow it to'pass the outside strip ofthe window. When the pressure is removed from the wings, the springspull upon the ends of the stiff rods and the side wings are shoved aparttill they strike against the window frame. 1

The most important practical advantage of my construction is that itpermits the use of an extension spring, that is, a helical spring whoseends are separated farther in use than their normal distance, whereby,in use, the force of the spring tends to shorten the dis tance apart ofsuch ends. Such a spring is more satisfactory and efficient in operationand more durable than anyother means known to me of automaticallyadjusting the side wings.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A window screen comprising a frame provided with a screen fabric,movable sidewings and extension springs said side wings being connectedto said springs at the ends thereof farthest from said wingsrespectively, sub stantially as described.

2. A window screen comprising aframe provided with a screen fabric,movable side wings and a helical extension spring, each of said wingsbeing provided with a stiff rod which passes entirely through saidhelical spring and is connected to the farther end thereof,substantially as described.

3. A window screen comprising a frame provided with a screen fabric,grooved strips at the top and bottom thereof having helical extensionsprings therein, movable side wings, and rods connected to said wingsand passing through said springs and connected to the far ends thereofrespectively, substantially as described.

4. A window screen comprising a frame provided with a screen fabric,movable side wings and a helical extension spring, each of said wingsbeing provided with a stiff rod which passes entirely through saidhelical extension spring and is connected to the farther end thereof,and stops for limiting the movement of said wings, substantially asdescribed.

5. A window screen comprising a frame provided with a screen fabric,grooved strips at the top and bottom thereof having helical extensionsprings therein, movable side wings fitting in recesses. formed at theends of said grooved strips, rods connected to said wings and passingthrough said springs and connected to the far 'ends thereofrespectively, and stops cooperating with said rods, substantially asdescribed.

WALTER LASAR. Witnesses:

JAMES A. CARR, T. PERCY CARR.

